PAPATAMUS REDUX

CELLAR JAZZ (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 5, 2025)

There is something very familiar with the music of bassist Neal Miner, saxophonist Chris Byars and drummer Jason Tiemann on Invisibility. Many of the tunes bear a striking resemblance to the music of jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, Horace Silver, Kenny Dorham or selections from the Great American Songbook. Having spent his career playing those tunes, bassist Miner has perfected the craft of contrafacts on Invisibility — creating musical compositions with a new melody written over the existing chord progressions of an earlier work.  Don’t bother trying to figure out the original tunes on which the majority of eleven tracks are based, just sit back and enjoy the listening experience. Miner’s ability to create interesting new melodies is as satisfying as his rock-solid support on bass and his always perfectly placed and played solos. Beyond the familiarity of the tunes, there is the familiar tone of saxophonist Chris Byars. Like the great Warne Marsh, Byars has a knack for balancing a laid-back cool sound with a modern hard bop edge. Whether he is playing a blues such as “Blues for Scout,” a ballad such as “Evening Sound” or a bop tune such as “Night Owls,” the familiar sound of Byars’ tone is comforting, refreshing and invigorating. The quicksilver drumming of Jason Tiemann recalls the great Max Roach as he punctuates the tunes with just the right sparkle and rhythmic surprises. There is also the familiarity of the format of the tunes — whether they begin with a bass opening, or a drum beat, Byars states the melody on which the band improvises, followed by solos from all and often resolving with the classic technique of trading fours. Listening to Invisibility, there is no doubt that Miner, Byars and Tiemann enjoyed investigating the twist and turns of the contrafacts as well as four original compositions and two blues tunes. And I have no doubt, listeners will enjoy the original and exciting take on familiar sounding tunes, tempos and tones.

BOTTOM LINE:  Working without a net (the harmonic grounding of a piano), the trio of bassist Neal Miner, saxophonist Chris Byars and drummer Jason Tiemann will astound you with their flexibility, compatibility and total joy on Invisibility. They reshape eleven original tunes (contrafacts) based on the music they have been performing for years — the blues, bebop, hardbop and the Great American Songbook— into their own jazz classics.